RATED OUTSTANDING BY ADEK AND BRITISH SCHOOLS OVERSEAS
Mr Nigel Davis
HEAD OF SECONDARY
Welcome to this term’s Secondary Newsletter - and what a fantastic edition it is.
I have read through it all and it made me smile on every page!
Memories that our students have made, thanks to the efforts of our staff to ensure that they have these amazing opportunities.
The first term is always very long, and is packed with a huge amount of work, and opportunities. Trips & visits, Lip Sync, school shows, loads of co curricular, and a mammoth term for sport (this first term of 2025/6 has had more sporting fixtures than the entire school year last year!) while still working incredibly hard in class and for many, preparing for mock exams.
Many BSAK students are so very busy - the sign of a really healthy school
Finally, and as it has been a really long term relax, have fun. And come back in 2026 renewed, re-energised, and ready for term 2!
This was demonstrated by a large-scale study by Kramer, Guillory and Hancock that showed participants who received reductions in positive news feeds went on to create more negative personal posts themselves.
In the assembly I challenged the children and staff to create viral positivity within BSAK with the following goals:
STUDENTS
Smile at least 10 people in the corridor during the day
Consciously use your verbal, non-verbal and online interactions to boost others emotions
TEACHERS
Welcome all of your classes at the door with a smile and a hello
Give out 1 Kindness Housepoint per lesson and share with the class who got the Housepoint and why
Reduce the amount of time spent scrolling online and focus on positive stories
Optional Extra - Find out about laughter yoga and give it a go!
I WOULD NOW LIKE TO CHALLENGE YOU AS PARENTS
Have a go at following these two strategies shared by Andy Cope, the author of “The Art of Being Brilliant”
1: Wake up each morning for 365 days and consciously appreciate that you don’t have a toothache.
Start on a positive!
2: The 4 minute rule - be the best version of yourself for 4 minutes. Either when your children come home from school, or when you come home from work.
This applies emotional contagion with the idea that others “catch” that positivity.
We also celebrated Anti Bullying Week in November. This year's slogan from the Anti Bullying Alliance was “Power For Good”. This theme was selected to help empower young people to do something positive to counter the harm and hurt that bullying causes.
During assemblies and tutor times we focused on how we could all move from being bystanders to upstanders and students were encouraged to take the BSAK Upstander Pledge shown below.
Our Inclusion Support continues to go from strength to strength with extraction support being offered in all year groups across the core subjects.
This type of support involves small-group support sessions delivered by Inclusion Teachers or HLIAs. Some students may require additional help to address specific academic challenges in the core subjects. Sessions will typically pre teach and revise concepts to supplement learning in the mainstream classroom.
These interventions are proving to be very successful with some students no longer requiring this level of support. This is always our aim and we love to celebrate this! For this reason we review our support regularly.
Their enthusiasm, teamwork, and friendly competitiveness have helped build a strong sense of community within the
TERM 2
I hope to see Year 7 continue to grow in confidence and contribute positively to our school community. They should be incredibly proud of all they’ve achieved this term, and I’m sure you, are just as proud. Wishing you and your family a wonderful and restful winter break!
Form Reps & House Captains
Leadership positions at BSAK are a great way for students to develop confidence in presentation skills and to learn effective ways to lead their peers with kindness and respect, including all. It was really wonderful to see the quality of applications for all roles.
A big thank you to everyone who applied and those who were successful in achieving those roles. They have already made some lovely contributions to registration sessions and I look forward to working with them more during the course of the year.
Student voice is a really important part of To encourage students to see how valuable their opinions and ideas are to us, this term we asked Form representatives to get ideas from their form groups about what they new school canteen. The form representatives presented some really insightful presentations with thoughtful ideas of how to decorate the new canteen walls and the possible food they would like to see being sold. Well done to all six of them for gathering this feedback from their peers and presenting in such a confident way.
Dress to Impress
Year 8 strutted their stuff on the ‘catwalk’ to raise awareness for Sustainability in action. The clothes for this fashion show were generously donated by members of the BSAK community and the Year 8’s wore them well, with some definite model attitude! Well done to everyone who took part!
MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF YEAR 9
Term 1 has been a bumper term for our Year 9s. We kick started things off with an assembly highlighting the Bridge Year and challenging students to think about the person they want to be when they get to the end of the bridge before the start of Year 10 and GCSEs. The highlights have definitely been the 2-night Residential Trip and the GCSE Taster Day.
Overall, the year group has shown a great deal of engagement in lessons and school life, rising to the challenge of becoming the best
Pink Day & Movember
Residential - Fujairah
What a trip! Thank you to everyone who attended our Pre-DofE Residential in Fujairah in November. Activities included snorkeling, teambuilding, navigation skills, a Quiz Night, a hike and fun camping memories. Well done Year 9s for showing such resilience and camaraderie
Eid Al Etihad Celebration
At the end of Term 1, Year 9 joined the BSAK community in celebrating the 54th National Day Celebrations of the UAE. It was a wonderful occasion marked by special performances by a number of our students.
GCSE Taster Day
GCSE Options Process, Year 9s spent a day getting a taste of subjects offered at GCSE Level including Economics, Graphics, Photography, Media Studies, Business Studies and PE. A big thank you to the staff involved in making this a meaningful experience!
Newtrition Challenge Launch
The launch of this year’s MELS lesson together in the Auditorium learning about the benefits of healthy, nutritious meals as well as the exciting challenge of creating meals at home over a four week period which will begin next term. A big thank you to Ms Gannon and Helen for preparing over year group to don with various healthy additions.
SCI FI “SAVE-THE-SHIP”
Mr Bertrand organised an end-of-half-term
session in the Auditorium as we concluded our Sci Fi unit of work. Students had to work in groups to figure out challenges and earn ship keys to get their star cruiser working again. It was an awesome way to finish off our first half-term.
PinkDay & MovemberMiles
Year 10 students have shown fantastic commitment to this term’s awareness initiatives. Pink Day brought great energy and unity to the school, while our weekly Movember Miles walks have seen excellent participation in support of men’s health. Thank you to all involved.
SportingSuccess
It has been an impressive term for sport. Year 10 students represented BSAK in U19 rugby competitions, and congratulations go to Emaan for qualifying for an upcoming boxing fight night. We are also delighted that fifteen students have been selected for the BSME U15 Games—an exceptional achievement.
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award
As this newsletter goes out, 79 of our Year 10 students are currently in the desert completing their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze practice journey. Participation in the award has been exceptional this year, and it has been wonderful to see so many students completing their volunteering sections in
BSAK Bulls: Young Entrepreneurs in Action
StudentLeadership
Congratulations to our newly elected Form Representatives:
Centaur: Nadia
Chimera: Salma
Griffin: Srinika
Hydra: Oscar
Pegasus: Shanzay
Phoenix: Riya
A special mention to Salma, who has additionally been appointed Year Representative. I look forward to collaborating with this committed team of young leaders on several projects across the year.
This term’s Lip Sync Battle was a true highlight, with Year 10 students bringing incredible energy, creativity, and house spirit to the stage. It was wonderful to see so many of them stepping outside their comfort zones
We now look ahead to Sports Day next term, where we hope to see the same enthusiasm, teamwork and
DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD
Our Silver Duke of Edinburgh students overcame various obstacles when camping for 2 nights during their practice expedition in October; they rose to the challenge with resilience and Well done to all of those involved.
We are thrilled to report that our Sixth Form Open Evening was a resounding success, drawing a fantastic crowd of current year 11 students, prospective students and their families!
The evening provided a wonderful opportunity for guests to explore the academic opportunities, supportive environment, and vibrant community our Sixth Form offers.
The true stars of the evening were our exceptional Year 12 Prefects. These students led engaging, guided tours of the Sixth Form areas, offering unique, student-led perspectives on life after GCSEs. Their enthusiasm was contagious! They spoke so highly and passionately about their experiences, truly showcasing the best of BSAK.
It was wonderful to see so many of our Year 11 students in attendance, getting a first-hand look at their next steps.
We proudly feature a selection of our graduating students each year on the Learning Curve display. This showcase celebrates their next steps by highlighting their chosen universities and courses they will be pursuing across the globe. We invite you to check out this inspiring display during your next visit to the school.
BSAK Oaks Alumni Platform
Did you know about the BSAK OAKS, which stands for the Old Al Khubairat Society? This is the dedicated, official network created specifically for all our former students and parents. Don't let your connection to the British School Al Khubairat fade—join our Alumni Platform today! This exclusive space is the single best way to stay connected, reminisce, and build new professional and social ties. By registering, you help ensure that the vibrant, lifelong BSAK community remains alive and strong, no matter where in the world you are. Sign up now to reconnect with friends, share your journey, and continue to be a vital part of the BSAK family!
I would like to extend a sincere and enthusiastic welcome to all our students as we begin the new academic year in Year 12. This is a truly pivotal moment, the start of your Sixth Form journey!
The first term is all about . We encourage every student to embrace the increase in responsibility and ownership over their learning. Please use the support systems in place, and communicate early and often with your tutors as you adjust to the depth and demands of your specialist subjects.
Science Week
We were delighted to celebrate with a series of spectacular events across the school, but the true highlight was the involvement of our Sixth Form students.
Our Year 12 and 13 students stepped up brilliantly, delivering engaging, hands-on science demonstrations for the younger year groups. From creating colourful chemical reactions to showcasing the physics of flight, their energy and expertise made science truly come alive for our junior students.
This success is a proud reflection of our newly appointed Subject Ambassador programme! All of our Ambassadors have now been formally appointed, and they immediately proved their value by leading these sessions with confidence and passion. Their commitment to inspiring younger pupils is exceptional, ensuring that the passion for learning extends across all key stages and keeps our whole school community thriving.
YEAR 12 PREFECTS & ASSISTANT HEADS OF HOUSE
Year 12 Prefects
● Afonso B
● Mansour A
● Lise A
● Minnie H
● Annabel O
● Joshua G
● Yoshita V
● Amaan H
● Sami Aj
● Imani S
● Sara H
● Zahraa M
● Gaurika S
● Ali I
● Sami Ab
● Hadil T
● Farida W
"Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don't let anyone
Year 12 Assistant Heads of House
Well done to Hydra for taking the win in the KS5 Lip Sync competition
Making the Most of Their Final Year!
I am incredibly proud of the Year 13 students for balancing intense academic focus with vibrant community engagement this term.
They truly brought the whole Sixth Form together! Highlights included a fantastic for Breast Cancer Research, leading the KS5 Lip Sync competition , and, most recently, participating in the fun-filled before the Mock period.
KS5 Lip Sync
The highly anticipated House Lip Sync Competition once again brought incredible energy to the theatre stage! This annual house event saw students (and a few brave teachers!) showing off their hidden talents, or hilariously demonstrating their lack thereof. The performances were packed with fantastic energy, pitch-perfect lip syncing, and surprisingly agile moments of gymnastics. With students turning up in some truly silly and creative outfits huge success, celebrating collaboration and House
SIXTH FORM
MOVIE NIGHT
Our Year 13 BTEC Hospitality students successfully brought a fun dose of fright to the school with a hugely popular Spooky Movie Night! The event, brilliantly organised by the Year 13 BTEC students, was a fantastic opportunity for students across the Sixth Form to relax and bond. Attendees were treated to a frighteningly good time, complete with plenty of delicious snacks and, most importantly, lots of genuine, heart-stopping jumps and scares! Rumour has it, the teachers were just as scared as the students! Well done to the Year 13 cohort for their excellent organisational skills and for creating such a fun, memorable, and (very) spooky Sixth Form event.
SIXTH FORM
SILLY SPORTS DAY
The field was buzzing with activity as students took a well-deserved break for an afternoon of spirited (and often clumsy) competition. This yearly event brings sixth form students and teachers together for some festive fun.
The agenda was strictly silly, featuring classic favourites like the sack race, dizzy penalties alongside high-energy chaos during the massive water balloon fight. The atmosphere was electric, but the real highlight came when the Desert Chill ice cream van rolled onto the grounds, providing the perfect, frosty reward for all the effort.
